The Circle Alternative Built for Real-World Clubs
Circle.so is built for selling courses to online audiences. Your running club, book club, or sports team needs something different. Who's In Clubs gives you event scheduling, RSVP tracking, and membership management — all for $8.25/month.
Last updated: 14 May 2026
TL;DR — Circle vs Who's In
Who's In is a free alternative to Circle for community event organisers. Key differences: $8.25/month — no per-member platform fees. Purpose-built for real-world clubs. No credit card required, no guest accounts needed, and all features are included free (2.7% fee on paid events only).
Why Organizers Are Switching from Circle
Circle is a content platform for course creators. For your real-world club, there's a simpler, cheaper, purpose-built alternative.
$39-199/month subscription
$8.25/month — no per-member platform fees
Designed for course creators, not clubs
Purpose-built for real-world clubs
Members must create accounts to join
No accounts needed — share a link
Online-first with no event RSVP
Event-first with RSVP & attendance tracking
Complex setup with steep learning curve
Live in 5 minutes
Content and course focus
Membership tiers, payments & group messaging
What Organizers Say After Switching
"I tried Circle for my running club but it was total overkill — discussion forums, course tools, community feeds. All we needed was a way to post weekly runs and see who's coming. Who's In nailed it."
James T.
Running Club Organizer, Austin
"Circle wanted $39/month and made every member create an account just to RSVP for book club. With Who's In, I share a link and people tap 'I'm in.' That's it. Attendance doubled."
Priya M.
Book Club Leader, Seattle
"As a football team captain, I needed attendance tracking — who's showing up, who's flaking. Circle gave me a content platform. Who's In gave me exactly what I asked for at a quarter of the price."
Danny R.
Sports Team Captain, Chicago
Everything You Need for Community Events — Without the Complexity
- Membership management with tiers
- Recurring events with auto-scheduling
- Group messaging to all members
- Stripe payments for dues & events
- Attendance tracking per event
- WhatsApp notifications & reminders
- Member directory with roles
- Club analytics & engagement insights
- No member accounts needed — share a link
- Mobile-first PWA — works on any device
- Event photo albums + downloadable documents included free
What We Don't Have (On Purpose)
- ×Course selling tools your club will never use
- ×Content libraries and drip-feed modules
- ×Branded apps that cost extra and add friction
- ×Community feeds that replicate social media
- ×Complex admin dashboards with a steep learning curve
We're built for club organizers who meet in the real world, not course creators selling content online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about switching from Circle
Why switch from Circle to Who's In Clubs?▼
Circle.so is built for online course creators who want to monetize digital communities. Who's In Clubs is purpose-built for real-world club organizers — running clubs, book clubs, sports teams, hobby groups — who need event scheduling, RSVP tracking, and attendance management. If your members meet in person, Who's In Clubs fits your workflow far better than Circle ever will.
How much does Who's In Clubs cost vs Circle?▼
Who's In Clubs costs $8.25/month for organizers, and members join with no per-member platform fees — no accounts needed. Circle starts at $39/month (Professional plan) and goes up to $199/month, plus your members must create accounts to participate. That's 4-20x more expensive before your members even join.
Do my members need to create accounts?▼
No. With Who's In Clubs, members RSVP and join events via a simple shared link — no account creation, no app download, no login required. This removes the biggest barrier to participation. Circle requires every member to create an account and log in, which kills casual participation.
Can I collect membership fees?▼
Yes. Who's In Clubs integrates with Stripe so you can set up membership tiers with recurring payments. Collect monthly or annual dues, charge for individual events, or keep everything free. Clubs have no platform fee on membership payments — we charge a flat $8.25/mo subscription and take nothing from your member dues.
Does Who's In Clubs have group messaging?▼
Yes. Built-in group messaging lets you communicate with all club members or specific membership tiers. Send event reminders, share updates, and coordinate logistics — all without needing a separate WhatsApp group or Slack workspace. Members receive notifications without needing an account.
Can I run recurring events?▼
Absolutely. Set up weekly runs, monthly book club meetings, biweekly game nights — whatever cadence your club follows. Recurring events auto-create with RSVP links, and members get reminders before each session. No need to manually create the same event every week like you would in Circle.
Built for Clubs That Meet in the Real World
$8.25/month for organizers. No per-member platform fees. No accounts, no app downloads, no course-creator bloat.
From $8.25/mo • No per-member platform fees • Cancel anytime
